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The Latest: 30 injured in fire at Germany asylum seeker home

THESSALONIKI, Greece (AP) — The Latest on the flow of migrants into Europe (all times local):

9:45 p.m.

Authorities in western Germany say about 30 people have been injured in a fire at housing for asylum seekers near Paderborn.

The dpa news agency said the home to some 500 asylum seekers, a former military barracks in Hoevelhof, was gutted by the Thursday afternoon fire.

Police say about two dozen asylum seekers and two firefighters were treated for smoke inhalation and other injuries at the scene. Several more seriously injured residents were taken to a local hospital.

It was not immediately clear how the fire started. Forensic experts are expected to inspect the scene on Friday.

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8 p.m.

Slovenia's government has approved tightening asylum procedures as part of efforts to avert a big influx of migrants.

The government on Thursday backed amendments to the country's existing asylum laws that would allow police officers to turn away people at the border when there is a surge of asylum seekers.

The practice only could be applied for a limited period and in special circumstances. The amendments still require approval from two-thirds of Parliament.

Officials have described the measures as necessary, but human rights groups insist they violate international laws.

Hundreds of thousands of migrants passed through Slovenia last year before countries in the Balkans closed borders.

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7 p.m.

A British inquest has found that an unidentified migrant died while hiding in a truck crossing from France to Britain, with the coroner calling it a "poignant tragedy."

The driver of the truck reported to authorities in October after he found the stowaway with his legs protruding from under a pile of Christmas catalogs. A post-mortem examination found the man, who was black and estimated to be in his 30s, died due to "traumatic compressive asphyxia".

Assistant coroner Christopher Morris said Thursday he was unable to record a name for the man — "a poignant tragedy given he was probably somebody's brother, son and friend."

Scores of people fleeing fighting and poverty have tried to make their way to Britain — many by hiding themselves in or under trucks.

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6:20 p.m.

Greece's minister for migration says most people entering the country illegally from Turkey no longer are refugees, but economic migrants.

Migration Minister Yannis Mouzalas said Thursday that the people arriving on Greek islands from are not predominantly from war-torn countries like Syria and Iraq, a shift from the mass arrivals in 2015.

Mouzalas praised a 10-month-old deportation deal between the European Union and Turkey that human rights groups have criticized.

He claims that 100,000 more migrants and refugees would have been stranded in Greece without the agreement.

Greece has reported that about 60,000 people are stranded in the country due to border closures elsewhere in Europe last year. Most live in government-built camps or state-sponsored housing schemes.